The Ten Virgins and the End Times

The telling of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) is preceded by the disciples asking Jesus about the signs of his coming and the end of the age (Matt. 24:3). Jesus tells them that the time before his coming can be compared to the blossoming of a fig tree (Matt. 24:32-34). He also compares these days to the days of Noah and Lot (Matt. 24:37-39, Luke 17:28-30). He emphasizes that the disciples should be ready because the Son of Man is coming at time no one expects (Matt. 24:42,44). After teaching his disciples about this time he gives them the Parable of the Ten Virgins. “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matt. 25:1).

The parable is about those who wait for a bridegroom. This can be compared to what the church will be like right before the rapture happens.

The first thing we should notice is that the ten women are virgins; they are pure because during their lives they called on Jesus Christ as savior and were cleansed from their sins. Another important detail is that no one knew the time that the bridegroom would arrive, but they knew that his return was near. Regarding the coming of the Lord, the Bible says, “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thess. 5:2). This is true for those who do not belong to Jesus, but about those who belong to him, the Bible says, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1 Thess. 5:4-5).

Even though no one knows the day or hour, believers will not be ignorant about the time they are living in when the rapture happens. The believer will know that rapture is imminent because of the signs of the end times. We saw in the introduction that this time is compared to the times of Noah and Lot. Accordingly, we are going to look at three similarities that we find during the times of Noah, Lot, and the time before the rapture.


1. Knowledge about the times

The first similarity is knowledge about the times. Noah knew that total destruction was coming: “So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood…” (Genesis 6:13-14a). Noah made the necessary preparations because he knew what was coming. He built an ark, and in it he and his household were saved from the flood.

Lot did not know what was going to happen to the city he lived in. However, his uncle Abraham knew: “Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?… Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous…” (Genesis 18:17,20). Abraham was given knowledge about what was happening and he started to pray for the righteous Lot.

Just as Noah and Abraham knew what was soon to come, the church will know about the time it is in before the rapture. We see this clearly in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. All ten virgins chose to go to meet the bridegroom. In other words, they knew the signs of the time.

The wedding described by Jesus in the parable was a Jewish wedding with Jewish customs. This kind of wedding lasted seven days if the bride was a virgin or three days if the bride was a widow. The wedding feast would be celebrated at the home of the bride’s father. At the end of this party the bridegroom would lead the bride to his home while the guests celebrated. The transfer from her father’s house to the bridegroom’s house happened during the evening or night. Many friends and relatives would follow them, and this group would be both seen and heard. A group of people from the bridegroom’s house would meet and welcome the group. This last group of people is the group of virgins in the parable.

They did not know when the bridegroom would come, but they knew that he would be coming soon and therefor had to have sufficient oil in their lamps. “Five of them were foolish and five were wise.” (Matt. 25:2). The Amplified translation uses “silly, thoughtless, shortsighted” instead of “foolish”.
The ten virgins knew who the bride was; they knew whether she was a virgin or a widow. Based on this knowledge they knew how long the wedding feast would last (seven or three days) and approximately when the bridal party would arrive. They had to wait, but the waiting period was not unreasonably long, because when the three or seven day celebration was over it would be time to go to the bridegroom’s house. And just as the ten virgins had this knowledge, we will have knowledge in the time before the rapture.

Throughout history, God has provided for certain people who understand the times. “From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do...” (1 Chron. 12:32a). Another scripture that shows this is Amos 3:7, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Before the rapture happens, the knowledge of the signs of the time will be great, so that people will know which time they are living in and can prepare.


2. Preparation

The second similarity is preparation.
The preparation is both personal and directed outward. When Noah was told about the coming destruction he prepared personally by informing his family and building the ark. But he also made sure others knew how serious the situation was. He preached righteousness to them: “…he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others…” (2 Peter 2:5).

Abraham’s personal preparation was that he separated himself from the ungodliness in Sodom, which is a picture of the world. His external preparation was that he prayed for the righteous Lot who lived in Sodom. His prayers, along with God’s grace, saved Lot: “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29).

Once Lot realized the seriousness of the time, it was important for him to tell his future son-in-law what was about to happen: “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city! ”But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.” (Genesis 19:14).

What a tragedy! Lot’s future sons-in-law knew him and saw how he lived. They knew that he followed the desires of his eyes and lived in compromise. Because of the testimony of his life, they did not take him seriously despite his change. It is important to live a holy and god-fearing life for yourself as well as for others who see your life as a testimony. All believers are like a letter, read and known by all.


3. The door closes

The third similarity between the times of Noah and Lot is that the door closes. When Noah had gathered the males and females of all the animals, the Bible says, “Then the Lord shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16b). The door, or gate, was closed and created separation between those who were outside the ark and those were inside. The chance to be saved from the coming catastrophe had passed.

The same thing happened in Lot’s time. When angels came to save Lot and his family, ungodly men of Sodom tried to force their way into his house to commit unspeakable acts there. The Bible says that before they could do this, “…the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.” (Genesis 19:10-11). The men in this verse who struck the others with blindness were angels. Since the men of Sodom could not find the entrance to the house they could not commit their acts. They also did not have the opportunity to be saved from the terror that was coming.

Jesus says, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9). When the men do not find the door to the house it is a picture of how they do not find Jesus, the only one who can save us. The time of grace for Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities on the plain was over. God’s judgment was irrevocable and there was no longer the possibility of being saved from total destruction.

We see that the same thing happened in the Parable of the Ten Virgins: “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.” (Matt. 25:10). The closed door meant that the ten virgins could not enter the wedding feast. This means that a large number of people who believe they will be included in the rapture will not be

“The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” (Matt. 25:5)

The longing of the bridegroom, Jesus, is to gather his people to himself for all eternity. When the rapture happens it will be at the right time, even though those waiting for him may think he has delayed. There are two reasons for this.

The first reason is that the bride is not ready. “’Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)” (Revelation 19:7,8) When the time for the rapture and wedding has come, the bride will have prepared herself beforehand. The bride will not be childish, nor will the bride be a random woman who happened to dress herself for the occasion. The bride will be a mature woman who has readied herself for what is coming. The insight into and revelation of God’s word has grown throughout the age of the church. God has allowed his servants to use this knowledge to build up believers to maturity. Those who have allowed themselves to be changed by the word of God and have grown up to maturity are like the wise virgins who have prepared themselves.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-15).

Believers will prepare themselves for their heavenly wedding just as a bride makes preparations for her upcoming wedding. A bride looks forward to the wedding day because from that day on she will spend the rest of her life with the man she loves, the bridegroom.

Before telling his disciples the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus tells them the Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” (Matt. 24:45).

Jesus tells them this parable to let them know that God has his servants who will give the other servants proper food at the proper time. Some of these faithful and wise servants will have the testimony of the Spirit, while others will know the signs of the time and teach about them. The last group will understand the times like a pregnant woman who knows that birth is near because of stronger and more frequent contractions. Using the Bible, they will be able to interpret the times and teach about them based on greater and more frequent earthquakes, natural disasters, signs of the sun and moon, wars, and what is happening with Israel.

When it comes to the testimony of the Spirit, throughout history, the church has always heard that as a believer, one can be “up to date” with the will of God. The common characteristic of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 is: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The faithful and wise servant in the parable before the ten virgins had the testimony of the Spirit. He helped the other servants come into right relationship with the bridegroom, Jesus Christ. God is just and is not willing that any should perish. When people perish it is either because they have not heard the gospel and therefor have not come to believe in Jesus, or because they have heard the gospel but have not repented and therefor do not live for Jesus.

When the rapture happens, millions of people from around the world will meet the Lord in the sky, all in a moment. Many of them will come from nations and regimes where people have been persecuted, imprisoned, and murdered for their faith in the Lord Jesus. They hold fast to Jesus in love and faith and wait for their reward, the crown of life! Even though the signs of the time will be shared with the global church, things like persecution, isolation, and poverty will keep some believers from receiving this knowledge. The testimony of the Spirit, given through faithful and wise servants in these nations, will make it possible for believers living there to understand the times and make their preparations. The greatest sign that the rapture is near is that faithful and wise servants of God around the world will preach, teach, and prepare believers for the rapture. The signs of the time will affirm the testimony of the Spirit.

The effect of this preparation will be colossal! When the time comes, people who have prepared themselves will disappear all over the world. Jesus says about this, “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” (Luke 17:34,35).

When Jesus says that the rapture will happen at night for some and during the day for others, it is because of the earth’s different time zones. Since people all over the world will be raptured, regardless of time zone, we know that a global preparation will have taken place. This preparation will happen while the world is in spiritual darkness with great evil. These days will be similar to the days of Noah: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen. 6:5). It is the same as in the days of Lot: “Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous.’” (Gen. 18:20). During this global darkness, faithful and wise servants will open their mouths one last time with a mighty testimony of the Spirit, fulfilling the Scripture that says, “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” (Matt. 25:6).